Woman fighting for life after car falls from bridge onto busy A1 motorway

A woman in her mid-40s is fighting for her life after a car fell from a bridge and landed in the middle of a busy motorway.

The crash happened at the Bowburn interchange on the A1(M) near Durham at 10.35am on Friday.

Durham Police said the car, which was driving on the flyover, left the carriageway and landed on its roof in the central reservation below.

The driver of the car freed himself from the wreckage but the passenger, a woman in her mid-40s, had to be cut free and was flown to hospital for treatment for "serious injuries".

A man in his early 30s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and remains in custody.

No other injuries have been reported, police said.

"We would like to appeal for anyone who witnessed this incident, particularly anyone who has dashcam footage of the crash or the moments leading up to it, to get in touch with us as soon as possible,” said Detective constable Natalie Horner, of Durham Constabulary’s Collision Investigation Unit.

"We would also urge anyone who saw this vehicle being driven between 9am and 10.30am today, especially in the Sherburn Village area, to contact us."

The North East Ambulance Service said it had requested help from the air ambulance in responding to the incident.

A spokeswoman said: "Two patients were taken to hospital for further treatment.

“The first patient was taken by road to the University Hospital North Durham (UHND), and the second patient was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary Major Trauma Centre (RVI MTC)."

The interchange and flyover were closed in both directions on Friday and are likely to stay closed until Saturday while repairs are carried out to safety barriers, according to police.

The site was close to the scene of a separate horrific fireball crash which killed three people in July.

Lorry driver, Ion Onut, 41, from Galashiels, Scotland, was jailed earlier this month for three counts of causing death by dangerous driving in connection with the incident.